Difference between revisions of "Electra"
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She was the daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra, and a princess of Argos. She and her brother Orestes sought revenge for the murder of their father by their mother Clytemnestra and stepfather Aegisthus. | She was the daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra, and a princess of Argos. She and her brother Orestes sought revenge for the murder of their father by their mother Clytemnestra and stepfather Aegisthus. | ||
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= The original play texts called ''[[Electra]]'' or ''[[Elektra]]''= | = The original play texts called ''[[Electra]]'' or ''[[Elektra]]''= | ||
| − | + | She is the main character in two ancient Greek tragedies, ''[[Electra]]'' by Sophocles and ''[[Electra]]'' by Euripides, but also appears as a the central figure in plays by Aeschylus, Alfieri, Voltaire, Hofmannsthal, Eugene O'Neill and many others. | |
| + | ==''[[Electra]]'' by Sophocles== | ||
Set in the city of Argos a few years after the Trojan war, it is based around the character of Electra, and the vengeance that she and her brother Orestes take on their mother Clytemnestra and step father Aegisthus for the murder of their father, Agamemnon. | Set in the city of Argos a few years after the Trojan war, it is based around the character of Electra, and the vengeance that she and her brother Orestes take on their mother Clytemnestra and step father Aegisthus for the murder of their father, Agamemnon. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==''[[Electra]]'' by Euripides== | ||
''[[Electra]]'' (circa 413 B.C.), by Euripides (485-406 B.C.). The play deals with the same theme as that of the similarly named tragedy by Sophocles. | ''[[Electra]]'' (circa 413 B.C.), by Euripides (485-406 B.C.). The play deals with the same theme as that of the similarly named tragedy by Sophocles. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==''[[Electra]]'' by Benito Pérez Galdós (1843-1920)== | ||
''[[Electra]]'' (1900), by Spanish playwright Benito Pérez Galdós (1843-1920). The play discusses the problem of the girl who is being impelled towards a convent life for which she is entirely unsuited. | ''[[Electra]]'' (1900), by Spanish playwright Benito Pérez Galdós (1843-1920). The play discusses the problem of the girl who is being impelled towards a convent life for which she is entirely unsuited. | ||
| − | = | + | =International translations and adaptations= |
| + | |||
| + | ==''Electra in a New Electric Light'' by Francis Talfourd (1859)== | ||
| + | |||
| + | A [[burlesque]] version of ''[[Electra]]'', called ''[[Electra in a New Electric Light]]'', was written by Francis Talfourd (1828-1862)[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Talfourd] and performed for the first time on 25 April 1859 at the Haymarket Theatre, London. Published by T.H. Lacy. | ||
| − | + | '''See also the entry on ''[[Electra in a New Electric Light]]''''' | |
| − | + | ==''[[Electra]]'' adapted by John Barton and Kenneth Cavander== | |
''[[Electra]]'' by Sophocles, adapted by John Barton and Kenneth Cavander. Published in ''The Greeks : ten Greek plays given as a trilogy'', Heinemann, 1981. | ''[[Electra]]'' by Sophocles, adapted by John Barton and Kenneth Cavander. Published in ''The Greeks : ten Greek plays given as a trilogy'', Heinemann, 1981. | ||
| − | == | + | ==''[[Elektra]]'', an opera by Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal== |
| + | ''[[Elektra]]'', a one-act opera by Richard Strauss, to a German-language libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, which he adapted from his 1903 drama ''Elektra''. It was first performed at the Königliches Opernhaus in Dresden on 25 January 1909. | ||
| − | + | =South African translations and adaptations= | |
| + | ==''[[Elektra]]'' translated by [[J.P.J. van Rensburg]]== | ||
| + | Translated into [[Afrikaans]] as '''''[[Elektra]]''''' by [[J.P.J. van Rensburg]] (published by [[Human & Rousseau]], 1969). | ||
| + | = Performance history of the play in South Africa = | ||
| + | 1859: Talfourd's [[burlesque]] version performed by the [[Cape Town Dramatic Club]] in the [[Harrington Street Theatre]], Cape Town, on 31 August, billed as "Magnificent Classical Extravaganza". Also on the programme was ''[[Victims]]'' by Tom Taylor and a performance of the brass band of the [[59th Regiment]]. | ||
| + | |||
| + | 1859: Talfourd's [[burlesque]] version repeated ("by special request") by the [[Cape Town Dramatic Club]] in the [[Harrington Street Theatre]], Cape Town, on 7 September, along with ''[[Nothing Venture, Nothing Win]]'' (Coyne) and a performance of the brass band of the [[59th Regiment]]. | ||
1965: The [[Afrikaans]] translation ''[[Elektra]]'' was staged by [[PACT]], directed by the Greek director [[Costis Michaelides]] (assisted by [[Leonora Nel]]), starring [[Anna Neethling-Pohl]] as Klutaimnestra at the [[Aula]], Pretoria and the [[Civic Theatre]], Johannesburg. Other members of the cast were [[Francois Swart]] (Orestes), [[Carel Trichardt]] (Paidagogos), [[Marius Weyers]] (Pulades), [[Tine Balder]] (Elektra), [[Petru Wessels]] (Chrusothemis), [[Louis van Niekerk]] (Aigisthos). Decor and costumes designed by [[Raimond Schoop]]. | 1965: The [[Afrikaans]] translation ''[[Elektra]]'' was staged by [[PACT]], directed by the Greek director [[Costis Michaelides]] (assisted by [[Leonora Nel]]), starring [[Anna Neethling-Pohl]] as Klutaimnestra at the [[Aula]], Pretoria and the [[Civic Theatre]], Johannesburg. Other members of the cast were [[Francois Swart]] (Orestes), [[Carel Trichardt]] (Paidagogos), [[Marius Weyers]] (Pulades), [[Tine Balder]] (Elektra), [[Petru Wessels]] (Chrusothemis), [[Louis van Niekerk]] (Aigisthos). Decor and costumes designed by [[Raimond Schoop]]. | ||
| − | + | 1968: The [[Afrikaans]] translation ''[[Elektra]]'' was presented by [[Universiteitsteater Stellenbosch]] in the [[H.B. Thom Theatre]] and the [[Bellville Civic Theatre]] in June, directed by [[Tine Balder]], starring [[Frikkie Engels]], [[Fred Nel]], [[Herman Pretorius]], [[Esther Brandt]], [[Annelize van der Ryst]], [[Deon Joubert]] and others. | |
| − | + | 1972: The [[Afrikaans]] translation performed in the [[Aula]] by the Drama Department of the [[University of Pretoria]] in February, directed by [[Neels Hansen]], with [[Lerina Erasmus]] as "Elektra", [[Fred Steyn]] as "Orestes" and the renowned Greek actress [[Aleka Katseli]] as "Klutaimnestra". The rest of the roles were played by drama students. (Though the play was done in [[Afrikaans]], Katseli performed her role in the original Greek. In addition she also wore the costume she had worn in Michael Cacoyannis's famous film of ''[[Elektra]]'' in 1962). | |
1997: ''[[Electra]]'' by Sophocles, as adapted by Barton and Cavander, directed by [[Gaerin Hauptfleisch]] for the [[University of Stellenbosch Drama Department]], in September in the [[Little Libertas Theatre]]. The cast: [[Lorraine Burger]], [[Tania Strauss]], [[Nina Swart]], [[James Lapping]], [[Carlien Mostert]], [[Susan Rabe]], [[Keith Bain]]. | 1997: ''[[Electra]]'' by Sophocles, as adapted by Barton and Cavander, directed by [[Gaerin Hauptfleisch]] for the [[University of Stellenbosch Drama Department]], in September in the [[Little Libertas Theatre]]. The cast: [[Lorraine Burger]], [[Tania Strauss]], [[Nina Swart]], [[James Lapping]], [[Carlien Mostert]], [[Susan Rabe]], [[Keith Bain]]. | ||
| − | == Sources = | + | = Performance history of the Strauss opera in South Africa = |
| + | |||
| + | 1999: Presented by [[Cape Town Opera]] (27 November) | ||
| + | |||
| + | = Sources = | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[Wayne Muller]]. 2018. A reception history of opera in Cape Town: Tracing the development of a distinctly South African operatic aesthetic (1985–2015). Unpublished PhD thesis. | ||
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electra | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electra | ||
| + | |||
| + | [[B. van Zyl Smit]]. 2012. The Reception of Greek Tragedy in the "Old" and the "New" South Africa. ''[[Akroterion]]'' 48, March. (DOI:10.7445/48-0-96) | ||
''Wikipedia'' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electra_(Sophocles)] | ''Wikipedia'' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electra_(Sophocles)] | ||
''World Drama'' by Allardyce Nicoll, 1949. | ''World Drama'' by Allardyce Nicoll, 1949. | ||
| + | |||
| + | https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/012434805 | ||
| + | |||
| + | Facsimile version of the 1859 Talfourd text, ''Hathi Trust Digital Library''[https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31175035136715;view=1up;seq=2] | ||
Laura Monros-Gaspar (ed). 2015. ''Victorian Classical Burlesques: A Critical Anthology''. Bloomsbury Publishing[https://books.google.co.za/books?id=faj2CQAAQBAJ&pg=PT62&dq=Dido,+the+Celebrated+Widow&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjG8LDQpIjWAhXCDsAKHWhqDPAQ6AEIMDAC#v=onepage&q=Dido%2C%20the%20Celebrated%20Widow&f=false] | Laura Monros-Gaspar (ed). 2015. ''Victorian Classical Burlesques: A Critical Anthology''. Bloomsbury Publishing[https://books.google.co.za/books?id=faj2CQAAQBAJ&pg=PT62&dq=Dido,+the+Celebrated+Widow&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjG8LDQpIjWAhXCDsAKHWhqDPAQ6AEIMDAC#v=onepage&q=Dido%2C%20the%20Celebrated%20Widow&f=false] | ||
| + | |||
| + | E-mail correspondence from [[Wim Vorster]], 30 October, 2024. | ||
[[PACT]] theatre programme, 1965. | [[PACT]] theatre programme, 1965. | ||
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[[Petru Wessels|Petru]] & [[Carel Trichardt]] theatre programme collection. | [[Petru Wessels|Petru]] & [[Carel Trichardt]] theatre programme collection. | ||
| − | Go to [[ | + | Go to [[ESAT Bibliography]] |
| − | + | = Return to = | |
| − | |||
| − | Return to [[ | + | |
| + | Return to [[PLAYS I: Original SA plays]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | Return to [[PLAYS II: Foreign plays]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | Return to [[PLAYS III: Collections]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | Return to [[PLAYS IV: Pageants and public performances]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | Return to [[South_African_Festivals|South African Festivals and Competitions]] | ||
Return to [[The ESAT Entries]] | Return to [[The ESAT Entries]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | Return to [[Main Page]] | ||
Latest revision as of 17:54, 1 November 2024
Electra or Elektra (Ancient Greek: Ἠλέκτρα, meaning "amber") is the name of one of the most famous characters from Greek mythology.
Contents
- 1 The mythological character Electra
- 2 The original play texts called Electra or Elektra
- 3 International translations and adaptations
- 4 South African translations and adaptations
- 5 Performance history of the play in South Africa
- 6 Performance history of the Strauss opera in South Africa
- 7 Sources
- 8 Return to
The mythological character Electra
She was the daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra, and a princess of Argos. She and her brother Orestes sought revenge for the murder of their father by their mother Clytemnestra and stepfather Aegisthus.
The original play texts called Electra or Elektra
She is the main character in two ancient Greek tragedies, Electra by Sophocles and Electra by Euripides, but also appears as a the central figure in plays by Aeschylus, Alfieri, Voltaire, Hofmannsthal, Eugene O'Neill and many others.
Electra by Sophocles
Set in the city of Argos a few years after the Trojan war, it is based around the character of Electra, and the vengeance that she and her brother Orestes take on their mother Clytemnestra and step father Aegisthus for the murder of their father, Agamemnon.
Electra by Euripides
Electra (circa 413 B.C.), by Euripides (485-406 B.C.). The play deals with the same theme as that of the similarly named tragedy by Sophocles.
Electra by Benito Pérez Galdós (1843-1920)
Electra (1900), by Spanish playwright Benito Pérez Galdós (1843-1920). The play discusses the problem of the girl who is being impelled towards a convent life for which she is entirely unsuited.
International translations and adaptations
Electra in a New Electric Light by Francis Talfourd (1859)
A burlesque version of Electra, called Electra in a New Electric Light, was written by Francis Talfourd (1828-1862)[1] and performed for the first time on 25 April 1859 at the Haymarket Theatre, London. Published by T.H. Lacy.
See also the entry on Electra in a New Electric Light
Electra adapted by John Barton and Kenneth Cavander
Electra by Sophocles, adapted by John Barton and Kenneth Cavander. Published in The Greeks : ten Greek plays given as a trilogy, Heinemann, 1981.
Elektra, an opera by Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal
Elektra, a one-act opera by Richard Strauss, to a German-language libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, which he adapted from his 1903 drama Elektra. It was first performed at the Königliches Opernhaus in Dresden on 25 January 1909.
South African translations and adaptations
Elektra translated by J.P.J. van Rensburg
Translated into Afrikaans as Elektra by J.P.J. van Rensburg (published by Human & Rousseau, 1969).
Performance history of the play in South Africa
1859: Talfourd's burlesque version performed by the Cape Town Dramatic Club in the Harrington Street Theatre, Cape Town, on 31 August, billed as "Magnificent Classical Extravaganza". Also on the programme was Victims by Tom Taylor and a performance of the brass band of the 59th Regiment.
1859: Talfourd's burlesque version repeated ("by special request") by the Cape Town Dramatic Club in the Harrington Street Theatre, Cape Town, on 7 September, along with Nothing Venture, Nothing Win (Coyne) and a performance of the brass band of the 59th Regiment.
1965: The Afrikaans translation Elektra was staged by PACT, directed by the Greek director Costis Michaelides (assisted by Leonora Nel), starring Anna Neethling-Pohl as Klutaimnestra at the Aula, Pretoria and the Civic Theatre, Johannesburg. Other members of the cast were Francois Swart (Orestes), Carel Trichardt (Paidagogos), Marius Weyers (Pulades), Tine Balder (Elektra), Petru Wessels (Chrusothemis), Louis van Niekerk (Aigisthos). Decor and costumes designed by Raimond Schoop.
1968: The Afrikaans translation Elektra was presented by Universiteitsteater Stellenbosch in the H.B. Thom Theatre and the Bellville Civic Theatre in June, directed by Tine Balder, starring Frikkie Engels, Fred Nel, Herman Pretorius, Esther Brandt, Annelize van der Ryst, Deon Joubert and others.
1972: The Afrikaans translation performed in the Aula by the Drama Department of the University of Pretoria in February, directed by Neels Hansen, with Lerina Erasmus as "Elektra", Fred Steyn as "Orestes" and the renowned Greek actress Aleka Katseli as "Klutaimnestra". The rest of the roles were played by drama students. (Though the play was done in Afrikaans, Katseli performed her role in the original Greek. In addition she also wore the costume she had worn in Michael Cacoyannis's famous film of Elektra in 1962).
1997: Electra by Sophocles, as adapted by Barton and Cavander, directed by Gaerin Hauptfleisch for the University of Stellenbosch Drama Department, in September in the Little Libertas Theatre. The cast: Lorraine Burger, Tania Strauss, Nina Swart, James Lapping, Carlien Mostert, Susan Rabe, Keith Bain.
Performance history of the Strauss opera in South Africa
1999: Presented by Cape Town Opera (27 November)
Sources
Wayne Muller. 2018. A reception history of opera in Cape Town: Tracing the development of a distinctly South African operatic aesthetic (1985–2015). Unpublished PhD thesis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electra
B. van Zyl Smit. 2012. The Reception of Greek Tragedy in the "Old" and the "New" South Africa. Akroterion 48, March. (DOI:10.7445/48-0-96)
Wikipedia [2]
World Drama by Allardyce Nicoll, 1949.
https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/012434805
Facsimile version of the 1859 Talfourd text, Hathi Trust Digital Library[3]
Laura Monros-Gaspar (ed). 2015. Victorian Classical Burlesques: A Critical Anthology. Bloomsbury Publishing[4]
E-mail correspondence from Wim Vorster, 30 October, 2024.
PACT theatre programme, 1965.
UTS theatre programme, 1968.
Petru & Carel Trichardt theatre programme collection.
Go to ESAT Bibliography
Return to
Return to PLAYS I: Original SA plays
Return to PLAYS II: Foreign plays
Return to PLAYS III: Collections
Return to PLAYS IV: Pageants and public performances
Return to South African Festivals and Competitions
Return to The ESAT Entries
Return to Main Page
